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WiP Sculpt of NCO Zulu campaign.

Here's a sculpt I just started tinkering with, I hope it leads somewhere other than in the bin. Took some inspiration from a couple of pics I came across. Firstly the scetch of a French soldier from WWI and the way the subject is sitting and then the next couple are for reference of uniforms.
Have used two different diameter armature wires and green stuff to sculpt with. So thinking the final subject could be posing with a pipe in one hand and an asengi or knobkerry in the other as a trophy. Also need to think of what he could be sitting on. I hope you guy's like it and please feel free to comment.
Regards
Chris.

Hi Gaudin,
My apologies for the huge photos, I'm doing all this on my android as my pc has a virus and I'm waitng on a mate to get it sorted. Unless someone can help me to reduce the size, but maybe thats for another forum. By the way on the phone the pics sizes look ok. I'll look at the shoulders, ears and also the bottom eyelids, I'm still trying to get comfortable as this is my first serious sculpt in this medium and size.
Chris.

Definitely start with making a sound "body" of the mannequin, before adding details, clothing and such. Green stuff isnt great for this purpose, probably too expensive to use like that and wastes alot of your time waiting for it to set. Its not an easy medium for a beginner. Its just my opinion, of course.

Try playing with thermal clays for initial stages, then "dress" that body in Green stuff.

Eyes - if you sink lower eyelid deeper into orbit and ensure that upper eyelid "hangs" above it - you will notice instant improvement.

With regards to pictures- there are a few online editors that you can easily shrink them, there are even more advanced ones ( free) like www.befunky.com that allow you to edit it like photoshop.
On your phone or tablet I would use Instagram - it shrinks them automatically

You are in Oz, aren't you. I would look for cheapest clay possible for this purpose - because its just a filler. Speak to Jamie Stokes, he is based in Adelaide, they got a very good shop there that stocks all sorts.
I sculpt in Sculpey firm mostly - but I use it for everything and I don't do figures yet. If you want to invest in decent clay, you can sculpt whole figure, some people prefer thermal clay's for this purpose. I usually use aluminium foil as a filler to save clay.

I have something magic sculpt that I bought at reduced price still not cheap and don't I have to bake it? I do have alot of air drying clay as well so it would probably be a good filler for this scale and busts etc. I bought about half a dozen rolls of greenstuff about six years ago and store it in the freezer so I have heaps but understand that it probably is an exspensive filler. I'll see how I progress with this current sculpture, and if I need to, will look at the other mediums I have at hand. Thanks For your help, you sound like a very knowledgeable person when it comes to this field. I hope you don't mind if I ask for your thoughts and suggestions again?
Regards
Chris.

Magic sculpt is awesome and requires getting used to. Every material has its perks and you will soon choose something that works.
Thermal clays are good when you want to spend time playing with it, epoxy putties will not give you that luxury - you need to learn to work fairly fast as they harden - and then you will learn by experience, how long to wait before doing certain jobs. Freshly mixed putty will have different properties and behavior compared to state it is in when it is about to go solid.

It gets even more interesting if you mix Green stuff with magic sculpt in various proportions - then it becomes something different, combining best qualities of both ( for me at least)

By all means ask, I cant promise to have an answer, but hopefully will know where to look

Have added the helmet as well as some gradual filling out of other area's as I go. Every time I'm starting to get somewhere I get interrupted and the greenstuff goes off.
I wanted the helmet to be slightly tilted as well. I thougjt I'd start on the head first, a bit like painting in some cases. I think this may help me get the right proportions as I progress. Hope you guy's like it so far.

Sorry to be so bloody slow with this, but shift work and four kids gets in the way. Finished the 'pipe' hand, added the apaletts again after changing the collar and started on the sleeve as well whill still filling out in other area's.

If you need any scale sheets, just let me know and I can e-mail them to you (you will need to resize them to the correct scale for printing out), I also have a couple of sculpting books somewhere that may be useful to you. I also have the measurements for a foreign service helmet if you want them. Something else that I was advised about washttp://artschoolbd.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/dynamic-wrinkles-and-drapery-by-burne.html

I have this book and it's a very useful aid.

You certainly have a talent and the potential Chris, keep plugging away. As for things like buttons on the epaulettes (and tunic) you might find it easier and more uniform in size to use things like the heads off dress makers pins. Or buy a watch strap punch with different diameter holes, something like this, I have one and it's a God's send.